I had a Wisconsin pun planned for this story, but it was too cheesy.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been home to football legends, prized dairy cows, slapstick comedians, and pioneers of research and design. One of the most iconic college towns in the U.S. goes all out for the Badgers’ football team every fall, and has historically supported sports like hockey, volleyball and basketball with fervor.
As the Oregon Ducks prepare for a move to the Big Ten Conference in 2024, The Oregonian/OregonLive is taking a look at all of their newest conference rivals. While Ducks fans might be deeply familiar with fellow Pac-12 departees Washington, USC and UCLA, they have 14 new teams to get to know this year.
We finish with Wisconsin.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
Nickname: Badgers
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
School founded: 1848
Joined Big Ten: 1896
Type: Public
Enrollment: 50,633
Endowment: $3.8 billion
Athletic department spending (2021-22): $147.8 million
Athletic department revenue (2021-22): $150.1 million
Football spending (2021-22): $39.3 million
Football revenue (2021-22): $88.7 million
Football stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
Capacity: 80,321
Varsity sports: 23 (11 men’s, 12 women’s)
Mascot: Bucky Badger
Fight song: “On, Wisconsin!”
Notable alumni: Joan Cusack, Rose Lavelle, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Michael Mann, Carl Rogers, J.J. Watt, Russell Wilson
Famous coaches: Barry Alvarez (football), Bret Bielema (football), Mark Johnson (women’s ice hockey), Kelly Sheffield (women’s volleyball)
Biggest rivals: Minnesota, Iowa
Essential movie: Back to School (1986) — Rodney Dangerfield at his best. Filmed primarily at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Team national titles: Boxing (8), men’s ice hockey (6), women’s ice hockey (7), men’s cross-country (6), women’s cross-country (2), men’s basketball (1), men’s indoor track (1), women’s volleyball (1)
Did you know? Research conducted at the University of Wisconsin — known for its agricultural history and undying love of dairy cows — led to the fortification of Vitamin D in milk. UW professor Harry Steenbock jumpstarted the effort in the 1920s, and the Steenbock Memorial Library opened on campus in 1969.
As of 2021, the state of Wisconsin produced the second-most milk in the U.S. at 31 million pounds — about 14% of the nation’s total. California produced the most at 41 million pounds (18.5%).
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